Attorney Explains Uninsured Motorist Claims

I just got a new case in two weeks ago that involved a horrible crash on highway 880 in Oakland. My clients were rear ended by an uninsured driver, sending their car rolling across the highway, where it was abruptly and forcibly stopped by the retaining wall. Their car then burst into flames. They were left with multiple fractures, permanent disfigurement, massive medical bills, and diminished capacity to work, as well as a short-term inability to work. In other words, their damages are significant - I would value this case at anywhere between $350,000 and $500,000.

Sadly, the clown who hit them had no insurance (and was driving on a suspended license) and they had only liability insurance. While my clients have medical insurance, they have limited options for recovering for their pain and suffering, their wage loss, the trauma they had to suffer, and their lost wages. If they had purchased uninsured motorist coverage, they would be able to recover at least some of their loss. I have written about this topic many times in the past. I even did a little research and found that the difference in cost between a liability-only police and a policy that contains uninsured motorist insurance is negligible.

So the lesson is that it does not pay to "save" by not having uninsured motorist coverage. If you are injured in a car accident and the other driver does not have insurance, you will be very sorry if you decided to save a buck and bypass the uninsured motorist coverage.

Pete Clancy is an Oakland personal injury lawyer.